


Messy

by ScullyLovesQueequeg



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Complete, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 02:49:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3471584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScullyLovesQueequeg/pseuds/ScullyLovesQueequeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The <a href="http://aliens-scully.tumblr.com/post/111401931868/msr-nonsense-a-few-weeks-after-they-become">prompt</a> was: “A few weeks after they become involved, Mulder drops Scully off at her apartment following a late-night paperwork session in the basement. Mulder sees her to her door before quietly saying good night and turns to leave. Scully suddenly reaches for his arm and when he turns back, she hesitates briefly and silently gives him a soft kiss before quickly making her exit.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Messy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpyderScully](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpyderScully/gifts).



“It's getting pretty late. I think it'll probably be a good time to wrap this up.”

Scully’s voice broke the quiet that had settled into the small basement office they shared. The dim lighting made for an _almost_ romantic setting, and though they were doing work, Mulder was fully aware of the situation: that they were both alone in the office, well past the hours that their job required them to be there.

This scenario was different than it usually was—back then they were only partners, and now, it would have been more pertinent to call Scully his girlfriend. Mulder would never call her his girlfriend though, nor would he share any affectionate moments beyond a simple gaze, or a knowing look with Scully. Even so, the truth of the matter was that they were an item, and with this truth came a weighted responsibility to make sure they both were able to keep the balance between work and personal affairs separate. Today was one of those days where the line was blurred and unclear, however.

Mulder found himself watching the way Scully’s head was resting against her hand, as she propped it up on the desk. It was slightly inclined in a forward tilt that people took when reading, and her hair was tied back, so that it would not obscure her features. He watched as she mentioned the findings of her research. His eyes followed the smooth curves of her lips as they pronounced each word, and the way her eyes hovered in a half lidded state that spoke to an emotional vulnerability that she was showing him. She ended her words with a smile that held a fleeting, nervous quality to it, and she straightened up and brushed away the parts of her hair that had fallen in her face from being too short to tie back.

Mulder had not been listening, but he finally brought his eyes to his work and said,

“Well, I didn't have much luck, so I guess I'll take some of this home and continue through the night. If you could maybe write down your findings, that would be useful.”

“Okay.” Her voice had a low and husky quality that spoke to a sort of tiredness they were both feeling. She stood, and made the motions to put her coat on while Mulder stood up and stretched. He hadn't bothered with a coat, and it was just as well, since the amount of time he spent outside was negligible.

When they were ready, they walked out of the office, Scully leading the way, with Mulder’s hand placed in the small space of her back, guiding her along. Scully never minded or if she did, she didn’t say. She’d once disclosed to him that it was a reassuring detail that she found endearing about Mulder, even though it was his way of moving people where he wanted them to go without having to resort to force.

They were an odd pair, the two of them, like the mutualistic relationship that certain animals shared. Mulder could live without Scully—and he had for so long, and she without him, but together, life just made more sense, at least, to Mulder. He didn’t know how Scully felt. One of the first issues he discovered about dating her, was that she still wasn’t inclined to share her feelings with him. He hadn’t really expected that to change, but if anything, she seemed to hide her feelings even more, and Mulder felt sometimes as though she was secretly unhappy with the way things were moving.

Mulder thought of addressing this with Scully, but the silence between them was enough that they didn't need to fill it with talk, especially when it came to a subject Scully tended to avoid. It was eating at Mulder, but he refused to make it into a larger issue. Scully had seemed withdrawn and distant for most of the day, and he figured she had a lot on her mind that she did not feel like discussing with him. Another thought was that she was, as he suspected, unhappy. He had no way of verifying this other than outright asking, but when he set his mind to address the issue, he couldn't allow himself to speak. So they drove on in silence, the street lamps illuminating the car every time they crossed one.

* * *

When Mulder arrived at Scully’s apartment, he killed the engine to the car and looked over at her. She gave Mulder another small, nervous smile, and whispered her goodbyes to him, her eyes avoiding his. Not convinced of her behavior, he followed after her, quietly taking her arm to see her to her apartment door. Scully said nothing, but leaned her head on his arm as they ascended the steps. Their footsteps echoed quietly in the hall, and when they came upon her door, she disengaged Mulder. She started to unlock the door, and Mulder took this as his cue to leave.

“Have a good night. Should I come by in the morning?”

“Yeah, I'd appreciate that.”

Scully lingered by the door, and Mulder seemed reluctant to leave, but finally he turned to go, when he felt her hand grab the crook of his elbow. His arm straightened out and he turned to face her, in case something was amiss. She said nothing, but settled for his sleeve. She clutched the material hard enough to cause wrinkling, and he noticed her hand was shaking.

“Scully, what’s wrong?”

Her head was lowered, and he wondered if she was going to cry, but her next action surprised him even more: _she kissed him_. It was soft and tender, and when she broke it off, he could feel her sigh, and before he could react, she hurried inside, locking the door behind her.

* * *

Driving back home was long, lonely, but forgettable. His mind was on the kiss, and Scully’s behavior. His mind was so preoccupied, that he pulled up in front of the diner by his home unintentionally. He headed inside anyway, because he hadn't eaten dinner, and wasn’t going to have dry cereal yet again.

Byers was there, alone, and Mulder joined his friend when he spotted him. They exchanged a greeting, and after Mulder put his order in, he disclosed,

“I've got a question for you, since the other two stooges aren't around and you would have the most experience with this.”

“Okay, shoot,” Byers replied, raising his burger to his mouth to take a bite. Mulder glanced down at the eating utensils bundled before him in a napkin.

“How do you know if a woman is happy?”

“You're asking me that? How should I know? Out of all of us, you're the only one that scores. I mean you're dating Scully, aren't you?”

“How do you figure?” Mulder's tone was not evasive, but it was guarded.

“Because more than once, we’ve called and you weren't home, but she's picked up. Why would she do that if she didn't live there?”

“Why were you calling?”

“It wasn't important, but that is pretty suspicious. That and the fact that you and her have been in love for the longest. It was just a matter of time. Congratulations, by the way,” Byers said, as though they were dealing with a business transaction. Byers reminded Mulder of a politician, though it was probably a remnant of his time in the FCC.

“Thanks,” Mulder mumbled, but Byers continued,

“I think the best approach would be to just watch her behavior, for now. Did something happen?”

“Yeah, she kissed me,” Mulder replied as the waitress put his food in front of him. He nodded curtly in appreciation, and then turned his attention back to Byers.

“That's normally a good thing, however I'm sensing a ‘but…’”

“Yeah, she seemed to struggle with her decision to actually do it. I'm just worried she’s forcing herself.”

“Think about the other things. She spends time with you, doesn't she? Holds your hand, allows you to sleep over, comes over on the weekends? I mean, you probably haven't noticed it, but Agent Scully isn't the most expressive person I've ever met, though I do have to confess a certain attraction.”

“Yeah, well, she's taken,” Mulder tone was defensive, but Byers only chuckled. “But... you could be right. Maybe she's just getting used to being a little more expressive. She's not Diana, I'll tell you that.”

“How so? Do you mean in the sack?”

“No--I mean I don’t know, I haven’t slept with Scully yet. I just mean like, Diana always spoke about how she felt, and was always making me do things for her to prove I was loyal. She liked to leave a lot, and not say anything—remember when she went to Cleveland and didn’t come back for a week? Compared to Scully, Diana was a cougar. And I mean that in both senses of the word. She was a wildcat. Scully is more like a house cat. She just does what she wants and comes when she wants to. I don’t know how else to compare it.”

Byers shook his head and continued eating. Mulder thought back on his brief stint with his former partner, and rejected the thought, glad that it had been a thing of the past. He began to eat his food, and the two friends continued to eat in silence.

When they were done, Mulder leaned back in the booth, draping his arm over the back of his chair and propping his elbow on the table. Byers was sitting with both his elbows on the table, and in the harsh lighting of the diner, it highlighted the tired lines of sleeplessness on his face. Mulder did not openly acknowledge it, though it worried him.

“You know, we never hang out like this. Langly gets on my nerves and you know how me and Frohike are… but you and I really don’t hang out often. You’re not a bad guy, Byers. We should do this again sometime,” Mulder said, covering the bill when the waitress came over to give them the check.

“It’s no big deal,” Byers gave Mulder an indifferent shrug, though he was smiling some. “Try not to worry too much about women. They just are. You should be able to just ask Scully what’s bothering her. You know, communication and stuff? If you’re really worried, try calling her when you get home.”

“That’s a good idea,” Mulder said, signing the receipt and putting his credit card back into his wallet. “I’ll probably call her to make sure she’s okay. I got the impression she wanted to talk. Thanks Byers, I’ll see you around.”

* * *

Mulder didn’t even wait until he had loosened his tie before dialing Scully’s home phone. It rang a couple of times, but when she finally answered, he noticed she sounded a lot more relax than she had been before.

“Hello?”

“Scully, it’s me,” Mulder started, balancing the phone on his shoulder as he loosened his tie. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay, because when I left, I felt as if you had something you wanted to say.”

“Oh, Mulder…” Her voice trailed off, and he wondered if she was disappointed in him. He got his answer soon enough, though because she began again,

“Mulder, I… I know that when it comes to feelings, you’re very honest and open about how you feel, and you’re more expressive than I am. I just feel bad because I know that—I know that you probably wish I would maybe be a little more intimate with you, but please trust me when I say that it’s nothing that you did. It’s a fault of mine; I don’t like showing parts of myself to others. I trust you, and I know you wouldn’t hurt me, but it’s an old habit I’m trying to break. It’s been bothering me all day because sometimes, I feel like you’re disappointed in me, or that you expect a lot more.”

The silence that ensued was painfully heavily, and finally, after thinking of an appropriate response, Mulder decided to break the silence.

“I don’t expect anything other than whatever you have to offer,” Mulder spoke quietly, not sure where the sudden tenderness in his tone came from. He eased into his arm chair and began to remove his shoes. “You don’t have to share or do anything you don’t want to, but I do want you to know that I’m always here for you. That much hasn’t changed. The only thing that’s changed is what we call each other, and even that hasn’t really changed.”

“Okay,” Scully said, inhaling sharply. He could hear it in her voice that she was a little relieved.

“I’m happy with what we have. It’s kind of messy, but then again messy is my thing.” Mulder said, with a chuckle. Scully chuckled in kind, and then said,

“Well, then I guess it suits you. And it’ll be my thing, too. Someday, we’ll get this sorted out. Until then, I guess that kiss will have to do.”


End file.
